The invention relates to a first and a second group of vehicles, wherein the vehicles have essentially the same construction and have at least one rear seat arranged on a floor panel of the vehicle. The rear seat of the first group of vehicles has a stationary seat cushion and the rear seat of the second group of vehicles has an adjustable seat cushion.
Vehicles in a vehicle manufacturer's model series are typically offered in different equipment-related configurations, wherein certain equipment-related variations require adaptations to the body structure of the vehicle body. For implementing rear seats with a longitudinal and/or height adjustment of the seat cushion, as a rule, some measures affecting the body structure are required, in contrast to vehicles with stationary seat cushions. As a result of these body structure variations, high costs arise for the different tools used to produce the various underbodies of the vehicles. In addition, the logistic expenditures for the control of the body structure variations are considerable.
It is an object of the invention to avoid the known disadvantages in the case of a vehicle series having differently constructed rear seats.
This object is achieved by providing vehicles characterized in that two groups of vehicles have floor panels of the same construction, and, for compensating the different further developments of the rear seats, in at least one group of vehicles, an adapter is arranged between a top side of the floor panel and an underside of the seat cushion.
According to the invention, a uniform body structure is used for the different constructions of the rear seats instead of an additional body structure variant. The invention compensates for the different seat cushions and/or their different connection to the body structure by way of an additional part, i.e., an adapter that is independent of the body structure. The adapter mainly functions to achieve height compensation because rear seats with an adjusting possibility require more space below the seat cushion than stationary rear seats. However, the adapter can also be used for compensating different geometrical further developments on the underside of rear seats.
With the reduction to one body structure variant, a considerable potential for cost savings arises. As a result of the elimination of the different tools and the simplified logic when manufacturing the vehicle body structure, considerable savings become possible such that a clear cost advantage occurs despite the additional costs for the adapter.
Naturally, the invention analogously includes also more than two groups of vehicles if the vehicle manufacturer offers more than two rear seat variations for the corresponding vehicle series.
Although a vehicle body for a motor vehicle is known from Japanese patent document JP 2000255289 A1, which has seat buckets for a rear seat arranged behind one another, these seat buckets cannot be occupied by adapters of a different design, but rather are intended for the optional insertion of one and the same rear seat either into the forward or into the rearward bucket. In contrast, the invention relates to rear seats with a longitudinal and/or height adjustment of the seat cushion for comfort purposes. However, the seat cushion cannot be removed as a whole or be changed into a different usage position by swiveling, folding down, or the like.
The adapter may be constructed as a piece part which, on one side, is connected with the floor panel of the vehicle body and, on the other side, with the rear seat. As an alternative, the adapter may be constructed as a constructional unit together with the seat cushion. In the case of this embodiment, the cover of the seat cushion preferably extends also over the adapter and is fastened to the latter. As a result, the seat cushion can be installed together with the adapter as an integrated upholstery part.
The adapter may be made of sheet steel by means of deep-drawing. As an alternative, the adapter may consist of aluminum, of another light-metal material, or of a plastic material. The adapter may have the shape of a trough or may be constructed as a volume component, for example, as a rigid-foam part. The adapter may also consist of a combination of different materials.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.